Discussion Thread involving Virtual Worlds

 

Virtual worlds- ability to make connections throughout the entire lake champlain basin to Lake Champlain. 

 

The way "we" learned as children is different for today's children.  Need for acceptance of new ideas.  Concentrate on the most likely

 

Need to understand demographics / audience of visitors ; large group of people that don't participate actively in Lake health - regardless of the specific behavorial outcomes we decide to priortize we might use our knowledge of the behavioral patterns most age demographics practise and line up the appropriate e-technology most attractive to the partiular age/interst cohort engaged.

 

Younger generation has grown up with technologies, Vermont is trending older in terms of avg age of population.  Retiree population with time and perhaps emerging interest.  How to engage this community to become more involved to be stronger and greater stewards of the Lake.  Will these forms of technology work for reaching them?  How can it be appealing?  Retirees: can learn technology and become very goog at it, now have websites.  However, there are others that do not use the technology.  How can we bridge the gap? 

 

A way for retiree communities to get involved. 

 

Everyone has a cell phone, removes barriers and learning curve for 3D environments.  What are we trying to achieve with the technology?  Information kiosks in ECHO lobby?  Facebook?  If its changing individual action, not convinced that e-Gaming is the way due to access.  Cell phone is something that people have already? 

 

Continually improving environment - other generations are more technologyically mature (and technology becomes more advanced)

 

Jitterbug: new telephone with large dispay and large numbers.  

 

How can all of the technologies work together?  

 

3d environment - interesting niche, lots of research that children are attention deficit - need for continual entertainment / easy access to information.  Popularity of SIMS for onging flow of information.  

 

Capturing the Lake experience is a very important thing to make the Lake more accessible.  Commitment to social equity. 

 

Use  of technology to get people out into nature - bidirectional flow of information.   Bait the hook with the 3d environment.  Create the ability to see things beyond what can be seen with the naked eye.  

 

Interacting and getting up and actually doing something.  How can this create a feedback loop?  

 

How are we going to get it into the mind?  How to reach the children?  How is this promoted at ECHO and online?

 

Everything at ECHO may be demonstrated in a virtual world.  However, a need to build an environment that sets the hook for people to see ECHO or the Lake.  

 

In reality there are lots of people that may never set foot in ECHO for accessiblity regions.  Need to provide them with same level of information so they may have the same advantages of the experience.  

 

Not aiming for online experience, aiming to inspire people by using technology.  

 

Second life is a platform for development and offers may opportuities for interaction.  Human connection made by Second life.

 

Be generating evaluation materials as we emerge - e.g. measure partricipation on line, try to get as much information as we can about participants so we can edify ourselves regarding the demogrphic cohorts emerging to the Voices challenge.  Work hard on developing realistic measures of behavior change and their impact...

 

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